


They Were Roommates!!

by Toocool2btrue



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending, Jealous Lance, University AU, a little drama, a very oblivious Pidge, flirty robot, intial love hate relation, kallura, lots of pining, minor jidge, pidgance, plance, plangst, roommates au, they were roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-21 06:55:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21070739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toocool2btrue/pseuds/Toocool2btrue
Summary: His thumbs paused over the controller, as the screen finally announced Pidge as the winner but there wasn't any sign of disappointment in his eyes.Instead, he slightly shifted towards her, there was a dreamy gaze in his blue eyes and instead of his signature smirk, a soft thoughtful smile graced his face."But I guess that's the funny part about love. It's where you least expect it to be," he whispered





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just needed to write a Roommates Au for Plance because I lack self control. This story is specially dedicated to tybalt_tisk for helping me out so much. I am forever grateful for your help!

Katie!" Romelle called, giggling with excitement. Katie suspiciously raised a brow, as she abandoned her bag on the coffee table and headed towards her friends that were crowded in the living room.

"A new rom-com released and we have to watch it!" Allura declared. "I overheard a few girls talk about it in class, Apparently it's pretty good," Nadia informed, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"What is it about?" Katie asked, taking her usual seat on the couch between Allura and Romelle.

Over the past two years thanks to her friends she had become well versed in romcoms. Although she would never care to admit it to her friends but overtime romcom had become a guilty pleasure of hers. Despite the cheesiness, she usually found them cute and a good escape from her exhausting school life.

Romelle squealed. "It's about two people who are roommates and the main lead is so dreamy!"

"I would love to be his roommate," Allura dreamily sighed.

"You have Keith! This guy is mine!" Nadia declared, throwing a pillow at Allura.

Allura raised her own pillow in response but stopped in mid-action as Romelle pointed to the screen.

"It's started!" she stated, dispersing the pillow fight. The four friends finally settled in, Nadia on the armchair and the rest of the three on the couch.  
___________________

Approximately two and a half hours later, Katie trudged to her own apartment, deep in thought.

She was already aware of the fact that movies held a very small sense of reality but didn't have the heart to tell her swooning friends that this movie might as well be made on another universe.

It was nothing close to having a guy roommate. If only the writers had interviewed her before making that movie, she would have given such an account that movie would have turned from a rom-com to a murder mystery.

Although she wasn't certain who was the murderer; Lance or her?

They both get their fair share of moments of wanting to murder each other.

She shrugged as she entered the elevator. Most probably the murderer would be Hunk given the number of times she and Lance used to call him to complain about each other.

She shook her head erasing the thoughts, as she took out her key to open the door but before the key could touch the lock.

The door enthusiastically opened by none other but the devil himself.

"Pidge!!" he greeted cheerfully ushering her inside.

She simply rolled her eyes, reminding herself never to forgive her older brother for using her old nickname in front of Lance.

"So how did your day go?" he questioned taking her bag from her.

"Alright," she mumbled, feeling slightly puzzled at the sudden warm welcome.

"Are you hungry?" he questioned and she shook her head, her brain still trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

Pidge wearily eyed the chirpiness of her roommate, she was used to Lance being a ray of sunshine but today he seemed a bit too happy.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked nervously, touching his cheek.

"Are you bringing one of your girlfriends over?" she asked.

Her dear roomie was one heck of a social butterfly, she has witnessed those 'rom-com endings' almost every week in her living room thanks to Mr. Lover boy.

"No!" he quickly answered, his face turning red.

She quizzically raised a brow wondering where the sudden shyness had come from but she quickly brushed the thought off in favour of another theory.

"Don't tell me you want to throw a party again?" she asked sternly.

Lance paled at the memory, "Definitely not after the last time."

"Then what are you up to?" she questioned.

Lance innocently shrugged. "Just trying to be the wonderful human I am."

"No funny business?" she confirmed, not finding enough energy to deal with the "wonderful human".

"Nope," he assured, feeling satisfied Pidge nodded, heading to her room.

Two hours later, she poked her head out of her room. Her hair held a beautiful resemblance to a bird's nest thanks to her unexpected nap.

According to her year's experience since it was 9:30 pm on a Friday evening. Lance McClain should be out of the house by now to be at whichever party he had been invited to and that meant that the house belonged to her.

But to her utter surprise, Lance McClain was at home in his pajamas watching tv. She never thought she would ever live to see this day.

"Hey," she called softly walking towards the couch.

"Finally awake? You know it wouldn't kill you to have a normal sleeping schedule," he teased, making space for her on the couch.

"Shut up," she sleepily retorted, stifling a yawn.

"How come you're at home?" she asked to which he simply shrugged.

"I had to work on a paper today and now I am too exhausted to go out," he replied, slumping back lazily on the couch.

"Who are you? And what have you done to my roommate? she asked, “The real Lance would never miss a chance to have fun."

He chuckled, sitting up straighter. "About that. Are you up for a match?" he challenged grabbing the controllers.

Pidge smirked confidently, "If you’re prepared to lose that is."

There was no denying that the two of them had their differences but surprisingly found common ground in video games. She considered Lance a worthy player, his reflexes were very sharp making him a challenging opponent.

Lance on the other hand always found it a good opportunity to bond, befriending Pidge was not an easy task. She usually didn't like to talk about herself or initiate conversations but strangely did become a much easier talker when her attention was diverted by work or video games.

So he took his opportunity.

"How come you came home late?” he asked. “Don't your classes end early today?"

Pidge briefly glanced at him, her gaze held surprise which was cleverly disguised by annoyance.

"You have learned my class schedule now?" she questioned, her gaze was fixed on the screen where she tried her best to stab Lance's character.

Lance snorted, swiftly avoiding her attacks.

"It's not that hard to learn. I am a very observant person after all." He grinned proudly.

"An observant person with a lot of free time on his hands," she chided.

"So where were you?" he asked again.

"Watching a movie at Allura’s," she answered, heat bloomed in her chest remembering the plot of the movie.

Stupid rom-coms...

Lance opened his mouth again and this time she was aware of what his next question was going to be. "No, Allura didn't ask about you. She and Keith are still together," she teased, anticipating the familiar pout to appear.

Lance chuckled warmly, ducking his head.

"I will never understand how Mullet managed to charm her," he confessed.

His thumbs paused over the controller, as the screen finally announced Pidge as the winner but there wasn't any sign of disappointment in his eyes.

Instead, he slightly shifted towards her, there was a dreamy gaze in his blue eyes and instead of his signature smirk, a soft thoughtful smile graced his face.

"But I guess that's the funny part about love. It's where you least expect it to be," he whispered.

Pidge blinked back at him owlishly, her brain failing to understand the implication.

"If you say so. You are the love expert after all," she said with a shrug.

Lance shook his head as laughter bubbled in his throat, although he had the right to feel disappointed but he couldn't bring himself to.

He lets out a hearty chuckle earning a more puzzled look from Pidge.

"What?" she asked dazed by her roommate's strange behavior.

"You finally admitted that I am a love expert," he declared proudly, ruffling her hair.

"Well, I never denied that either," she retorted, swatting away his hand.  
_____________________

"Katie, the professor is going to kill you," Nadia warned shaking her friend awake.

"I am already dead,” she sleepily mumbled. “So it doesn't matter."

Nadia slumped back in her chair, observing her surroundings. Most of her classmates tried their best to keep their eyes open as the professor droned on with his lecture hardly bothered by the lack of response.

Whose bright idea was to keep an 8 am lecture on Monday?

She fixed her glasses and leaned forward trying to understand what the Professor was talking about.

Despite her best efforts, she failed to do so, she decided that her friend had the right idea and it was better to catch up on her sleep. At least she would be feeling fresh for her next class.

But that was until…..

"Katie!" she hissed poking her friend.

"What?" Katie groaned.

"James is looking at you," she whispered, unable to contain her giddiness.

"What!" Katie jumped in her seat.

Nadia facepalmed as their classmate’s attention turned towards them.

"Miss Holt and Miss Rizavi. Anything you like to share with the class?" The Professor questioned sternly, crossing his arms.

The two friends slowly got up from their seats, they momentarily shared a look before turning back to the Professor.

"Well, you see Professor..." Nadia started as Katie zoned out of the explanation. Her eyes darted like a thief avoiding her Professor's gaze.

The people who were barely awake a minute ago watched the pair with curious eyes. Among those eyes was James Griffin.

Katie froze as his eyes made contact with hers, he gave her a small sympathetic smile. Subconsciously Katie's lips curved up as well.

"Miss Holt what are you smiling about!"  
__________________

"I am sorry but what?" Allura giggled and Keith smirked in amusement.

"I finally manage to get us out of trouble and she lands us right back in" Nadia groaned.

"You were the one who got us into trouble in the first place!" Katie reasoned.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter" Nadia waved off, slurping the last of her chocolate milkshake.

"So what is the good news?" Keith asked.

Nadia grinned, "That daredevil trick helped her score. He asked her out"

"Really!!" Allura grinned, slapping her hands on the table in excitement. The three of them jumped back in terror as their glasses and the table shook.

"Easy there, Honey" Keith reassured carefully steadying the glasses.

"He didn't ask me out!" Katie glared at Nadia.

"He only asked if I wanted to be his partner for our project" she clarified.

"Oh please the translation for that is. Will you be my partner for life" Nadia informed.

"Geez, Nads." Katie rolled her eyes as the rest of them laughed.

"Oh no. We are going to be late for our class," Allura declared, checking her watch.

"This is gonna be the third time!!" Nadia added, frantically grabbing her stuff.

"See you later." Allura waved off, giving Keith a quick kiss on the cheek. Surprising the young man, whose face started resembling his red jacket.

Katie smirked in satisfaction as she watched Keith's eyes follow Allura till she disappeared outside. She and Keith have been friends for ages courtesy to Shiro and Matt but she had never seen this soft side of him. The side which was only reserved for Allura.

"Aren't you the cutest," She teased, causing him to turn red.

"Shut up," he mumbled turning back to his fries.

"No offense, but never in my wildest dreams did I consider you the dating type," she confessed and Keith gave her a small smirk.

"I could say the same for you."

Katie giggled, stealing a fry. "Well I am still single so your theory stands."

"Not for long," he informed.

"You want to make a bet?" Katie challenged, Keith shrugged innocently, "Sure. I bet you 50 bucks that you will be dating before the end of the semester."

Katie look at him bemused. "I'll take that bet. Prepare to lose,"

Keith smirked. "We will see."

"Hey, you want to hear something weird?" he suddenly offered. Katie rubbed her hands in delight, "Another conspiracy theory. Is it about Area 51?"

"No no but this is even weirder," he assured. "What?" she asked carefully, Katie didn't like the evil smirk on Keith's face.

"Today after class Miranda Green asked Lance out," Keith informed and Katie's eyes widened.

"Miranda Green? The popular one who is famous for playing hard to get. How come she asked Lance out ?"

Keith shook his head. "That is not even the weird part. Lance rejected her,"

"What?!" Katie shouted and Keith quickly grabbed all the glasses before she could reentact Allura.

"See, I told you it was weird," Keith smiled in satisfaction.

"Wait..wait. Didn't Lance like her?" Katie questioned, racking her brains.

"I mean he used to talk about her all the time till..last month?" She mumbled trying to remember the last time Lance mentioned Miranda.

Keith casually shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows what goes on in that boy's mind"  
________________  
Pidge absentmindedly shuffled her food around her plate replaying the recent weeks in her mind.

The year had given her plenty of time to grow accustomed to her roommates activities and behaviors but the last two weeks were a stark contrast to her previous observations.

For starters he hardly went out this weekend, before that she had a higher probability of seeing him outside rather than in their own apartment.

Now he had rejected someone for whom he was singing love ballads a few weeks ago. Speaking of that, when was the last time he brought or mentioned a girlfriend?

She stabbed her meatball with her fork, what was this boy upto? Had she rubbed off on him? This was disappointing she had really hoped he would rub off on her. God knows how much she needs those social skills.

Whatever it was she was going to find out, Pidge decided, munching on her spaghetti.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called.

The devil was home.

Lance dramatically fell on the couch. Pidge glanced at her watch and turned towards Lance.

"Hey, how are you ?" she questioned.

Lance shrugged, "Very tired and hungry. Please tell me there is still dinner?"

Pidge nodded, "I made spaghetti."

Lance immediately perked up, "I am the luckiest man alive."

Pidge rolled her eyes, "Flattery will get you nowhere Mr McClain. You have to get it yourself."

"But Pidgey, I’m so tired!" Lance groaned, he pleadingly clasped her hands in his.

"Please," he begged out a mumble, giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh fine!" she agreed, freeing her hands from his. Faint shivers ran down her back, and she rubbed her hands together trying to get rid of the sudden chill.

"Don't call me Pidgey," she warned, and he mischievously smirked.

"But we have a deal," he reminded.

There were rare moments when Lance could make Pidge speechless, it's not easy to make a genius speechless mind you so Lance enjoyed every second of it.

"Just wait till I meet your family!" she threatened.

"You will be sorry that you even thought about messing with me!" she warned disappearing into the kitchen.

Lance chuckled to himself, "What's the rush? Let me ask you out first."

__________________

Pidge glanced up from her laptop, it was 11:45 pm and Lance was out cold on the couch.

Her eyes softened at the sight, he looked less evil when asleep and as much she would have preferred to let him stay like that. He is gonna get a back ache, their couch wasn't exactly the beacon of comfort.

Putting her laptop aside she walked towards the sleeping man, mustering all her physical energy.

"Lance," she whispered shaking him lightly.

"Go to your room or else you are going to end with a backache," she ordered, shaking him harder.

Lance groaned in his sleep hugging the green pillow tighter.

Pidge sighed, a wise person would leave him alone to his fate but a wiser person knew that he would be grumpy the next day and in turn, annoy her more. Taking another deep breath, Pidge started pulling on his arms in order to get him up. Lance might look like a bean pole but he was heavy and pulling him up wasn't an easy feat.

Thankfully his eyes fluttered open, "Pidge what are you doing?" he slurred in his sleep.

"Getting you to your bed," she answered between her struggle.

Lance nodded absentmindedly as he slowly started getting up.

Pidge patted herself for a job well done but the celebration was done too soon.

"Quiznak! Lance!" she shouted as he nearly toppled her over.

Pidge huffed, she was nearly being crushed by a man almost twice her weight then again she should have known better than to stir the devil in his slumber.

"Next time I am leaving you there," she hissed to the half awake man as she almost dragged him towards his room.

"Mmmm," was his simple reply as his face snuggled closer to hers.

Pidge didn't know if her face was red from blushing or exhaustion. Rolling her eyes she continued her voyage and then kicked the door open.

Using the last of her strength she dumped the 85 kgs on his bed. Lance seemed unaffected by the whole ordeal and he simply snuggled closer to his pillows with a small smile curled on his face as if he was the most innocent person in existence.

Pidge glared at the sleeping figure before tossing his blue comforter over him. All that effort would be a waste if he caught a cold, she decided.

As she turned to leave, Lance managed to gather enough senses to sleepily whisper "Thank you"

Pidge smiled to herself, softly closing the door.  
________________

Lance sighed with contentment as he opened the door. Thursday had become his favorite day for it successfully ended at 2:30 pm. No more classes and definitely no work.

His brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of the empty apartment. Usually she would be haunting the living room at this time.

Could it be that Katie finally decided to leave the home on her own accord?

He cautiously stepped inside wondering if he ended up in one of those alternate realities Katie kept talking about?

His eyes searched the apartment till it ended up on an unfamiliar object.  
Wait was that plant here when he left?  
"Ka-Pidge!!" he finally called out.  
"Over here!!" came the immediate reply.

Lance shook his head as he made his way over to the balcony, sometimes he forgot that they also had a balcony. Their apartment was like a luxury for them, no wonder despite their differences they had decided to co-habit it.

There she was, among her plants. Smiling at them like a proud mother.

"Hey!" she chirped.  
"Hey," he cooly replied.

"Mind telling me about that plant in our living room?" he questioned, the amusement evident in his eyes.

"It needed a home?" she offered innocently. "Really?" he asked, leaning against the railing.

Pidge nodded enthusiastically, "My mom got it but it's not safe to keep around Bae Bae. So she asked if I could take care of it."

Lance shook his head trying to keep down the laughter bubbling in his throat.

"Our home will become a Greenhouse soon," he tried to reason.

"Please! Lance," she begged, clasping her hands together.

Lance raised a hesitant brow, "Katie..."

"It has nowhere to go," she whispered helplessly.

"Fine. As long as you are not allergic to it" he gave in and Pidge grinned.

"Did I ever mention that you are the best roommate ever" she praised gleefully.

"I wouldn't mind if you mentioned that more" he added and Pidge simply rolled her eyes, turning back to watering her plants.

"Need any help?" he questioned, kneeling next to her.

Pidge blinked in surprise, "Yeah. Can you transfer that one to the bigger pot,"

"Wow it's grown so much!!" he marvelled, picking up the spare gloves.

"Just be very careful with it," she advised.

"Don't worry. I am a pro," he assured, gently lifting the plant from its old home.

Lance could feel the amber eyes trained at him as he added the soil in the new plant. It gave him goosebumps.

"What?" he softly questioned as Pidge flitted her gaze.

"Nothing," she mumbled.

A peaceful silence followed till she asked again.

"Hey, I can ask you something?" she carefully juggled her words.

"Sure?" he replied, his voice holding equal uncertainty.

"Is everything alright?" she whispered. Lance looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"

A pause followed as Pidge selected the suitable words in her head before she spoke again.

"Lance you have been acting differently these days. I used to hardly see you in daylight and today your classes ended early but instead of parading around somewhere with your friends. You are at home with me."

Lance simply let out a chuckle, " Is staying home with you a bad thing?"

Pidge shook her head. "No, but it's certainly unusual for you."

"Maybe I just like hanging out in my apartment these days. I can't let you have our awesome TV all day," he joked but Pidge remained unamused.

She sighed, Lance wasn't an easy person to deal with. He thought he had everyone fooled with his goofy and easy-going persona but overtime she had learned better.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk to me about it but make sure you do talk with someone," she firmly stated.  
The playfulness from his eyes disappeared and he took a sober tone. "Everything is fine," he assured sincerely.

Pidge raised a skeptical brow, "Really?" He gave her a small smile, "Cross my heart."

"Although..." he started and his tone made her realize that he was going to say something ridiculous. "I didn't know my dear Pigeon cared about me so much," he teased.

Pidge's reply was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

They shared a puzzled look for a moment on who could it be before Pidge's eyes widened in realization.

"Shoot!" she paled, taking her gloves off quickly.

"Lance get the door. I will be back!" she said heading into her room with top speed. Lance slowly walked towards the door, scratching his head on what could have possibly made Pidge so nervous.

He didn't need to wonder for too long though, the other side of the door revealed a young man with brown hair.

He seemed familiar. Lance probably saw him around campus. The brown-haired man was equally surprised to see him.

He cleared his throat, "Is Katie here?"

Lance's eyes narrowed but before he could reply the person in question came running towards the door.

"James!!" she greeted opening the door wider and letting 'James' inside.

James's posture relaxed but he still suspiciously eyed Lance who in turn did the same. Both boys wondering about the relation of the other.

Thankfully Katie considered it a good time for introductions, "This is my roommate Lance"

"And this my classmate James. We are working on an assignment together" she explained. The two boys reluctantly nodded in acknowledgment.

"Did you research on the malfunction of 1269?" she asked. James nodded proudly holding up his USB.

"Awesome! Let's get started" Katie grinned in excitement, there was a mad look in those amber-colored eyes. Lance considered it to be safer not to get in the way when Pidge was in her 'mad scientist' mode.

Beside him, James affectionately chuckled at her excitement. Lance's eyes narrowed again, an uncomfortable feeling poked him in the chest.

He didn't like this guy…..


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance stood at the entrance of the kitchen deathly still, his bright blue eyes which usually sparkled with merriment had a maddeningly dangerous to them. His mouth which was initially opened due to shock twitched into a scowl. He shot a deathly glare towards James but when he turned towards Katie there was hurt evident in his eyes which mercilessly twisted her heart

"Nadia?"

"Helloo Lance. Long time no see! How are you this fine afternoon?" she cheerfully greeted.

Lance's brows furrowed in confusion, Sure Nadia was one of Pidge's closest friends but she hardly came over here.

"Katie's in the kitchen." he pointed towards the almost closed door. "What brings you here?" he politely questioned and Nadia winked in reply. "I am here on a very important mission," she declared. "The greatest mission ever in the history of mankind. I am here to do God's work!"

Lance shook his head in amusement, Pidge had no right to call him over dramatic when her own best friend was like a walking theatre. "You!" she pointed at him. "You might be actually very useful for this mission"

Lance immediately perked up, "What is the mission about? Is it something for Katie?" Nadia nodded approvingly, "Katie was right. You are smart"

His eyes widened, "Katie thinks I am smart?" that was news for him.

Nadia nodded, "She says you have a way with humans and this trait of yours will surely come useful because you see my dear friend Katie is a very intelligent woman when it comes to science."

Nadia then sighed exhaustedly, "But she can be so oblivious when it comes to human emotions. She wouldn't be able to spot true love if he danced in front of her wearing 'I ♥ Katie' shirt"

Lance chuckled at the imagery, "Actually I can agree with you on that"

"I am so glad you do because now we have a chance to make things right!" Nadia stated as Lance gave her a quizzical look.

"Are you trying to set her on a date?" he questioned, his tone had taken a more sober turn. Nadia could feel that although his expression hadn't really changed, the lightheartedness had disappeared.

She fixed her glasses as she continued, "Well yes. You see I have noticed that James really likes her"

"The guy inside?" he questioned again, pointing towards the kitchen. Yet again his tone was neutral but there was a certain edge to it.neutral

"Isn't he cute?" she questioned, suspiciously.

Lance muttered something inaudible to himself, she noticed that his eyes were constantly flitting back to the kitchen. Nadia's curiosity levels were rising as her mind played the multiple possibilities.

Katie's roommate had a thing for her? That was a stupid question to ask it seemed pretty obvious that he had. Nadia mentally facepalmed, she wouldn't put past her friend to not notice that. To be fair, he was quite a looker too. They would make a cute couple as well, she grinned evilly.

But first, she needed to find out if Katie liked him as well or not. Nadia really wanted to further interrogate Lance but just at the wrong time, her phone started ringing.

Usually, she would just tell the person to call later but considering the said person was her mom, she just sadly excused herself.

Lance only distractedly nodded in acknowledgment as Nadia headed towards Katie's room. The conversation with her mother ended up being longer than she had originally ended. By the time she finished, Katie had already returned to her room.

"Hey!" Nadia grinned widely but Katie was not going to buy the act.

"What are you doing here. Didn't you have a test today?" she questioned suspiciously.

Nadia pouted, Katie should be happy that Nadia was here to fix her weird love life. Ungrateful friends but being the good friend she was, Nadia decided not to take her friend's hostility to the heart. Instead, she decided to test her theory.

"Class got cancelled. So I came here to check on Mr Cutie" she informed, Nadia leaned closer as anticipated her friend's reaction.

Katie merely smiled in amusement, "He just left a few minutes ago besides you are going to see him tomorrow in class anyway so what's the rush?"

Theory one- Currently rejected. It was time to test the second theory

"Speaking of cuties, your roommate is pretty cute too. Do you know who he is dating recently?" Nadia smirked.

To Nadia's utter amusement. Katie frowned, a look of irritation sparked in her eyes. "Geez Nads, Last time I checked I wasn't the manager of his love life"

"Still you seem to be extensively aware of it" Nadia grinned, seeing Katie's cheeks puffed up.

"Hard not to notice when he was parading them all around our apartment" Katie replied dryly causing Nadia to almost choking on her own laughter.

"Although.." Katie thoughtfully added, "He hasn't brought anyone for a long time now"

"Do you think he might be currently interested in someone?" Nadia questioned, evilly.

Katie shook her head in a horrified manner, "God help whichever poor girl he is after now"

__________________________

"I don't believe this" Allura whispered. "Well, it's the truth. I did an experiment and everything" Nadia assured.

"Didn't you go there to check on Katie and James?" Romelle reminded.

"I did" Nadia nodded gravely. "So did you?" Allura questioned raising a suspicious brow.

Nadia laughed nervously, "I got a bit distracted with my new observation."

"Nadia.." The two girls chided.

"Guys you have to believe me-" Nadia defense was cut off by Keith's entrance.

"Hey, what are you guys up to?" he greeted taking his usual seat next to Allura.

Nadia immediately perked up at the sight of a new audience, "Keith, you have no idea what I discovered!" she declared proudly. Keith questionably looked at Allura who simply shrugged before turning back to Nadia.

"Lance likes Katie!" she announced, awaiting for another shocked reaction.

"I know that" he casually informed. "So it's actually true?" Allura questioned excitedly, earning a glare from Nadia.

Allura nervously laughed, "Now Nadia honey. You do have a tendency to overstate at times."

Keith smirked, "He rejected Miranda Green for her. Of course, it's true"

"What!!" The three girls echoed.

"Please tell me you are not joking?" Nadia asked in disbelief. Keith shrugged, "I don't joke"

"Dude I don't think even I could reject Miranda Green. Lance must be really serious" Nadia concluded.

Keith rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, "He talks about her all the time in class. He better be serious"

"If Katie likes Lance as well. How come they fight so much?" Romelle questioned, confused.

Nadia smirked devilishly, "It must definitely be the tension between them"

"Although.." Allura tapped her chin thoughtfully, "If you think about it. It's been some time since Katie has mentioned a fight between her and Lance"

Keith smirked, "You guys are finally catching on. This thing has been going on for some time now" he stated.

"How come you never mentioned it to me before?" Allura asked.

"Well, it isn't really my place to tell besides I knew you guys would eventually figure it out. They radiate vibes of an old married couple"

____________________

Lance glared at the half-written page, his brain felt numb and with every passing second, he was losing his will to live.

"Stupid sea! Stupid fishes! Stupid life!" he muttered angrily, trying his best to keep his brain alive.

"Still here?" a mischievous voice called, he looked up to see Pidge standing at the doorway of the kitchen with her trusty laptop.

Lance groaned, rubbing his eyes "Kill me. I know you always wanted to do that"

Pidge nodded sympathetically, "I would but since I worked really hard this semester. I can't afford to go to jail"

She walked over to him and inspected the screen. A ray of hope lit inside his heart, Pidge was a genius, she could definitely help him.

"Deep-sea ecology.." she mumbled to herself. Pidge sighed, giving Lance yet another sympathetic look but this one seemed more genuine.

"I am sorry but I am terrible in biology. I can't help you" she apologized and Lance's eyes widened with shock. Even Pidge couldn't help him it was definitely the end of the world.

"But your mom is a botanist! You own half a dozen plants! How can you be bad at biology?!" he questioned desperately.

"Well, unfortunately, my brother and I got the physics part more from our dad. As for the plants, I would consider myself more of a gardener rather than a botanist. Besides, you wouldn't consider every dog owner a zoologist now would you" she explained.

Unfortunately, that explanation brought little comfort to the sleep-deprived boy. "I am going to flunk this class" he cried out in distress.

Pidge cautiously eyed her roommate, had he finally cracked?

"You aren't going to fail this assignment" she tried to reassure, comfortingly rubbing his shoulders.

"You still have time" she reminded, glancing at the clock. It was 1 in the morning. Unfortunately, Lance wasn't much a night owl, at his best he could probably stay awake till 3 am.

"Not a lot of time but you can still do it" she whispered mostly to herself.

Lance lowered his head in defeat, "It's no use I don't have the energy anymore. My brain is numb"

"I can help you with that" she offered, heading towards the kitchen cabinets.

"I know you are more of a tea person but coffee is your savior today," she informed. Lance nodded gratefully, "So what are you working on in this fine hour?"

"Matt and I are working on a program and I needed to get the coding done for it by yesterday but then I got occupied with that project with James... so here I am!"

"We are very sad people" Lance bitterly concluded as Pidge handed him his coffee. "Drink this and I am sure you will stay awake for at least another hour," she assured.

"Thanks" he mumbled taking a sip of the hot energizing beverage.

"Wait where are you going?" he questioned, as Pidge headed towards the door with her laptop and her own coffee mug. "Well you are working here so I will work in my room," she explained.

Lance shook his head " I think the kitchen table is big enough for both of us to work at the same time"

A bitter taste entered his mouth but it wasn't the coffee. It was jealousy as he was reminded about yesterday's events, Lance knew he was acting petty but he couldn't help it.

"You were working here with James just fine" He added.

Surprise overtook Pidge as her eyes widened at the sudden mention, it caused another wave of irrational jealousy in his stomach.

"We were working on the same thing so of course, we had to sit together" she replied, feeling a spike of irritation.

Lance shrugged, "We can still work here together. There is enough space and I know this is your favorite place to work"

"Come on" he urged, "I don't bite"

Pidge wearily eyed him, "Factually speaking I do know some girls who might say otherwise" Nonetheless she took a seat beside him, opening the laptop with an exhausted sigh.

She took a big gulp of coffee, glaring at the screen as Lance had a few minutes ago before started her work. Pidge furiously typed letting out all her exhaustion and frustration on the keyboard.

Lance simply watched, momentarily forgetting about his own assignment. Although she was one of the most straightforward people Lance has had the pleasure of knowing but Pidge was still great in hiding her emotions towards people.

Heck, she gave Lance a hard time figuring if she liked him or not.

"P-Katie?" Lance warily called. "Hmmm?" she hummed in response. If she ever felt any surprise of him using her real she certainly didn't show it.

"Do you hate me?" he asked abruptly.

The exhausted look Pidge gave him reminded him of his dear mother, "Yes, I hate you and that's why I made you coffee and comforted you a few minutes ago" she sarcastically stated.

Lance weakly chuckled at the response, feeling a sense of relief.

"But I don't think you really like me that much either," he mumbled. "I can't blame you though I did a lot of things that pissed you off"

"I used to do a lot of those things too but none of us has done either of those things for a long time now," Pidge reminded him, still glaring at her computer screen.

"Still I threw a big party that almost got both us into deep trouble even though you warned me not to do so"

Pidge shrugged, "But we did figure out a solution and didn't get into trouble. It happened months ago and now it doesn't matter"

Lance smiled to himself, "It mattered to me. It was the first time we actually worked together"

"Oh," she whispered looking at him, realizing he was right. It was the start of their era of peace after months of bickering and fighting with one another.

"And I really like it. You know us getting along..." he confessed shyly.

The night was a quiet cold one. It felt like the whole city was fast asleep except for the moon and the two souls. The late-night provided an atmosphere of drunkness, the sleepy drunkenness when our thoughts don't remain guarded by the walls of hesitation.

That gives us the bravery to face what we try to avoid. Lance had realized that he was long lost in those amber eyes. Not many had the courage to explore those golden orbs but here he was lost in the desert, wandering as a thirsty man in search of water afraid that he wouldn't survive long.

Katie, on the other hand, was only on the brink of realization, she had unknowingly ventured deep in the ocean, She was curiously searching for something but still unaware of the depth of the sea. The lack of awareness didn't make her fear the idea of drowning yet.

His words rang in her head, I like it when we get along. She could have retorted with her usual teasing but this was a moment of honesty so she smiled, "I do too"

The grin he gave her in response made his eyes crinkle at the ends, this was the moment she realized that despite crazy antics at times she didn't dislike him. Dislike was far from what she felt, the moments of tolerance had unknowingly turned into fondness but was it the same fondness that she felt for the rest of her friends? Something felt different with Lance.

"So would you like to renew our housing contract for the next semester?" he questioned hopefully.

A few months back the idea of it gave her nightmares but now with the twist, time brings Pidge found herself grinning "Sure" she agreed.

Lance's face curled into his signature impish smile, "I can't believe I finally managed to charm you" he teased but there he was again disguising something.

Pidge rolled her eyes at him, "Stop talking and get back to your work or I might start reconsidering my decision"

"Aye Aye ma'am"

__________________________

"Morning!" Lance called out to Pidge as she slowly padded out of her room.

"Morning" Pidge yawned, making a weak effort to fix her bed hair. "Did you get any sleep?" she questioned, inspecting the boy who was fully dressed and ready to go out.

Lance nodded tying his shoes, "Three hours but at least I got the assignment done. I feel like a free man. Thanks again"

"Anytime" she mumbled still half asleep. "Hey do you want me to drive you to campus?" he asked.

Pidge shook her head, "You are already running late and I don't have class for another hour so I'll just take the bus later"

"I'll see you later" He reached out to ruffle her hair.

"Don't you always" she joked, swatting his hand away. Lance gave her a small smile, "Yeah it's just..." his eyes wandered from her to the clock on the wall. "Shoot! I am late!" he panicked, waving a quick goodbye before heading out the door.

"Goofball" she whispered affectionately closing the door.

_______________________

11:30 am marked the end of her class. Most of the students had disappeared just as the Professor had left the room but Katie remained seated in her usual spot. She was busy reading the group messages that described the pain of her dear absent friend.

"My cramps are killing me!!"~ Nadia  
"Have you tried ginger tea. It helps me"~Allura.  
"I have tried everything!!"~Nadia  
"There are certain exercise positions that help"~Allura  
"Allura,I swear you are going to die as soon as I get the strength to get up!"~Nadia  
"I am at the store. I got the painkillers and the chocolates. Coming home soon"~Romelle  
"Romelle marry me!!"~Nadia

Katie giggled, Good old Romelle saving the day. Before she could further read the messages to know whether the wedding happened or not, Somebody gently tapped her shoulder.

Katie was surprised to see, pleasantly surprised to see James. "Hey," he greeted and Katie nodded in acknowledgment "Hi"

There was a nervous look in his eyes, "Uh... Katie, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure?" she answered with uncertainty wondering what could the possible favor be. James cleared his throat, " I was wondering if you could go through with me with the last week's lecture."

He nervously scratched the back of his neck, "This is kinda embarrassing but... that lecture totally went over my head and you really explain things so well. When we did the project together it was the first time I had so much fun doing something for Professor Hugo's class"

Katie cursed her pale cheeks as they turned into a bright shade of red but at the same time she felt a jab of sympathy for him. She had her older brother to help with such ordeals or else she might be in such deep waters too.

"Sure, I am free today if you want to come over?" Katie offered to which James nodded gratefully "Thank you!"  
______________________

"Hmm..that's weird" she mumbled to herself opening the door to an empty and silent apartment. Lance was usually home at this time, she felt the rise of disappointment in her stomach.

"Your roommate isn't home?" James questioned, looking around. Katie shrugged in response, she didn't know whether to find it unusual or normal. She headed to the kitchen where there was a note taped to the fridge.

"Gone to buy groceries," she read, shaking her head. To think he could have used his phone as an advantage and just messaged her that but then again Lance was a man of his own quirks which couldn't be questioned.

"Let's began" she declared opening her notes. James took the seat beside hers, and opened his own notebook as well, "Can we please start with the numerical. They kill me a bit every time I see them"

"Sure" Katie chuckled and they set to work. Tutoring James was hardly a difficult task, he was a fast learner and there were the occasional side conversations and remarks which made the whole thing more interesting. James certainly had a captivating personality but still, Katie found herself eyeing the front door waiting for a certain someone to return from his shopping.

"When I got into this university. My mom was so happy she called all our relatives and couldn't stop praising me in front of our neighbors. It was so....embarrassing" he mumbled, the color red dusting on his tanned cheeks.

Katie couldn't help but think how cute he looked. She wasn't aware of how many kinds of categories for cute guys existed but James had the mature charm to him, unlike Lance who was boyishly cute. The charm of his was the only thing that made him a bit bearable before they learned to get along.

Katie groaned in agreement, "My parents were worse. You would think after my brother they would have calmed down a bit but nooo...When I got accepted they threw a party and all their colleagues and our family kept asking if I was going to follow my parents' legacy but I got a decent amount of gifts. So all was forgiven"

James chuckled, leaning closer. "I don't know. I think their reaction was justified. Who wouldn't be proud to have such a genius daughter"

Katie's face turned bright crimson, only now she had noticed how close he had gotten to her. It caused a storm of butterflies in her stomach. She slightly shifted back but in a process to do, she elbowed her textbook which had been dangerously lying at the edge of the table, knocking it down. The book fell between them.

"I'll get it!!" they both called, ducking down to retrieve the book. They both looked at each other slightly startled on how close their faces were. Katie was transfixed by his gaze, not finding the strength to move. Nervousness danced in his blue eyes but they were grayish blue rather than Lance's bright blue ones.

James, on the other hand, was done dancing around this topic. He gently cupped her cheek in his hands and closed the distance between them. Despite her surprise, Katie responded, her eyes closing. Her brain had gone haywire, nothing made sense anymore.

Her ears pricked at the sound of the front door closing and that was enough for her to break from her trance. Unfortunately, it was proven to be too late because she opened her eyes and pulled away.

Lance stood at the entrance of the kitchen deathly still, his bright blue eyes which usually sparkled with merriment had a maddeningly dangerous to them. His mouth which was initially opened due to shock twitched into a scowl. He shot a deathly glare towards James but when he turned towards Katie there was hurt evident in his eyes which mercilessly twisted her heart

He slammed the two paper bags containing the groceries on the table muttering a quick "Excuse me" and then left the kitchen. The 'thud' made by the bags woke Katie from her second shock of the day.

"I am sorry.. but you should go" Katie whispered to the confused James before running after the other boy. "Lance!" she called out to him but he already slammed the door. She impatiently rapped on his door calling his name but no reply. After a minute or so, Katie gave up.

Her legs felt like they were made of jelly. With shaky steps she made her way to the couch, her heart was beating rapidly against her chest but unknown for what occasion. "What the hell is happening?" she whispered clawing her hair in frustration.

The regret was soon followed by anger, and she didn't know specifically who the anger was directed towards. Firstly it was on herself for letting this situation happen then it was on James for initiating the situation but in the heat of the moment, she found the true culprit.

Lance! How dare he react like that. Her business was none of his concern. She was most definitely not answerable to him and she didn't need to feel guilty for anything! She hadn't done anything wrong. He was no saint himself after all. if her action was a crime that boy would be serving life in prison without parole.

She bitterly glanced at his closed door, he could live there for the rest of his life for all she cared. To think they were making progress and she started considering him a close friend and then it all got ruined.

Katie had enough of the day, she slowly walked towards her room and then stubbornly slammed the door shut as well, It brought a little satisfaction to her at such times. Unfortunately, the last traces of anger soon disappeared from her body and previous guilt returned. Despite her consolations that it didn't matter what Lance thought, deep in the heart, she knew it did and the fact he was hurt because of her, made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

Katie tried to view her unconscious actions with a more conscious perspective. Why did she run after him? Was she more concerned with hurting Lance rather than James? The answer was in front of her and as much as she wanted to. She couldn't deny it anymore.

"No, no, no. This can't be happening" she groaned in her pillow, not him. She couldn't possibly be in love with Lance, is this the price she had to pay for the amazing apartment?

But wait! Did it mean Lance liked her too?. Katie shook her head in disbelief, it couldn't possibly be true. She was well aware of Lance's type and truthfully speaking she was far from it but his weird behavior would make a lot more sense to her now.

She groaned in frustration, she lay on her bed with her hands crossed against her chest. She needed to talk to Lance and make things clear with him or else her mind wouldn't stop pestering her about it.

Reluctantly she gave up the comfort and security of her bed and padded towards Lance's room. She firmly knocked at his door, her ears straining to hear the sound of approaching footsteps from the other side.

But there were none, Katie rolled her eyes. She didn't want to play his silly games, "Lance!" she called turning the handle on his door. To her surprise, it opened to an empty room. She stood there puzzled for a second before heading to the kitchen.

There was a new note on the fridge, "Gone out" it simply read. The action she had found endearing a few hours ago now felt heartbreaking. Pain clawed at her heart as Katie realized that the situation was more grave than she had anticipated.

Slowly she walked into the room, she softly sighed picking up her phone and preparing herself for the long conversation ahead. "Hey Nadia." she greeted, "Get the girls I need to tell you guys something"  
__________________________

Lance tried to blink back his exhaustion, it had been two days in a row since he hadn't had a proper night's rest. Ironically the reason behind his lack of sleep each night had a stark difference between them.

He took another sip of his coffee which didn't taste half as good as the one Pidge had made that night. Lance slightly winced at the memory he was desperately trying to forget still he managed to recall it a hundred times by now each time felt like a fresh stab at his heart.

The campus cafe was filled with students, most of them quietly sipping their coffee and working on their respective assignments or preparing for a test but there was also a small minority of people who were talking to their friends and enjoying the early morning but Lance's attention was caught by a certain couple who had just entered.

Allura and Keith looked at each other in surprise as Lance McClain came stumbling towards them. He had a troubled look on his face, Lance nervously ruffled his hair. "I..need your help" he whispered, hesitantly., on the other hand,

Keith looked at Lance as he had grown another head while Allura being aware of the situation decided to take matters into her own hand. "Let's take a seat and talk" she suggested, directing the two men to an empty table.

Lance explained the previous day's events "What do I do now? " he questioned, helplessness evident in his voice. Allura sympathetically patted his shoulder but Keith on the other hand was not feeling that emphatic.

"You should do what you should have done a long time ago. Tell her how you feel! How long had you intended to play the game house with her?" he questioned coldly.

Allura angrily eyed Keith to which he sighed and took a gentler tone. "Look, Katie isn't forever going to wait for you to ask her out. It was this guy today but tomorrow there will be another one and eventually, someone might catch her eye. So just be honest with her and tell her how you feel!"

Allura nodded encouragingly, "Keith is right. You need to communicate with her rather than assuming everything on your own."

__________________

"There he is" Nadia pointed out the familiar brunette. Katie nodded, trying her best to keep a calm composure. She took a deep breath mentally rehearsing the speech Allura and Romelle had made for her.

"You can do this. Good luck " Nadia softly assured, the usual eccentrics were missing from her tone. Katie started walking towards the man in question with steady footsteps but the man was walking much further ahead of her.

She mustered up all her energy, "James!" she called out. The young man stopped almost immediately, he turned around to see her walking towards him with great speed. Surprise was a weak word to describe what was written on his face, the man positively looked frozen in shock.

"Uh..Hi" she meekly greeted, as the whole speech flew off from her head. "Hey" he nodded in acknowledgment, there seemed to be an unspoken competition between them on who could die of embarrassment the fastest.

Katie sighed, rubbing her arms in comfort, "Look, James, I am really sorry for giving you the wrong idea. I really like your company but I don't think of you anything more than a friend"

James gave her a small smile, There was hurt evident in his eyes and Katie felt the lump in her throat rise. She hadn't really ever envisioned herself such a heartbreaker.

"It's alright I kinda figured that. Also, I am sorry too.." he shrugged trying to act casual, "For assuming things. I hope I didn't cause any big problem between you and Lance." Katie smiled bitterly looking at the ground, "You don't need to worry. We'll figure things out"

"So I'll see you in class then" she reminded awkwardly and James nodded, "See you". Katie walked away, feeling partly relieved but now only the easy part was over. She sighed, the hard part was yet to come.

An hour later, Katie found herself seated at the back of the bus. Her mind deep in thought as she stared out of the window, how had everything turned upside down in just a day? Just two days back James was just a friend, Lance was just a friend and now here she was trying to mend her relationship with each of them.

Katie shifted in her seat as the familiar rows of buildings appeared. She wasn't even sure if Lance was going to even talk to her, she had no idea how to deal with him when he was angry which was ironic considering that they spend early months only fighting one another.

Katie yawned, trying her best to keep her eyes open. She had spent the entire night tossing and turning, reconsidering her affections a thousand times for she knew her next decision was going to be an important one. Unfortunately the mental, as well as the physical exhaustion, was drowning her strength, she couldn't find the power to convince or reason with Lance at the moment.

The bus finally stopped at her usual stop, Katie along with a few others grabbed her bag and stood up to leave but at the last moment decided against it. She slumped back in her seat, observing the dark clouded sky which was a great representation of the storm that was going inside her. She watched the last passenger get off and then as the bus started again, Katie with her last bit of courage messaged Lance that she was going to be home by 10 pm.

Surely this gave them enough time to cool down and let them have a rational conversation. Trying to ignore the knots in her stomach, Katie switched off her phone and instead tried to focus on planning her study schedule. Next stop Olkarain Library.  
_______________________

"Concentrate!" she demanded, feeling annoyed by herself but at the moment it seemed like an impossible feat. Her mind couldn't stop thinking about Lance, she hadn't seen him since last night and although she knew he wasn't that reckless to get himself into trouble her idiotic heart couldn't help but worry. That boy better be home by the time she comes.

Katie sighed casually flipping through her textbook, she really needed to get this done but her mind was already drifting of and the library was so peaceful and quiet. Maybe if she closed her eyes for 5 minutes she would feel more refreshed and probably get something done.

Just 5 minutes, She convinced herself resting her head on the desk and closing her eyes. Just 5 minutes and she will most definitely get back to work......  
________A few hours later______

"Katie" a voice called out to her lightly shaking her shoulder. Katie finally lifted her head, her eyes still partially closed.

"Lance?" she groggily called out. The owner of the hand chuckled, "Unfortunately no. It's me, Ryner."

This was enough to wake her up completely, "Ryner!" she squeaked, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Ryner nodded with a small knowing smile on her face, "I have to close the library. You should pack up and go home now" she whispered softly. Katie looked around to see the library now dark and empty with the exception of Ryner and her.

She nodded and started slowly packing her things. Ryner nodded with satisfaction "It's very late, Lance must be worried about you." she remarked slyly, making Katie almost drop her precious laptop. Her mentor then thankfully walked away sparing Katie from any more embarrassment.

Katie hoisted her backpack and finally opened her phone which she guessed had been powered off for a few hours by now. The sky was pitch black, the dark clouds had completed hidden the pale moonlight.

"What!" she exclaimed, checking the time. It was 12 am and she had messaged Lance that she would be home by 10. Hesitantly she opened her call log to see 22 missed calls and 56 messages from Lance. "This can't be happening" she muttered. If Lance was mad at her before she surely didn't want to imagine his reaction now.

But still mustering up her courage, she pressed the call option. "Hi.." She whispered helplessly.

"Katerina Paige Holt, where the hell are you!" Lance replied his voice brimming with anger and worry. She was mildly impressed that he remembered her full name considering he always preferred to call her with that awful nickname but that was something to celebrate another time.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled, there was a pause on the other line. Lance sighed and continued in a softer tone, "Katie where are you? Do you have any idea how worried I am? It's midnight and you aren't home yet and you aren't picking up your phone. I even called your friends and they said you weren't with them. Is everything alright?"

Katie tried to swallow back the lump which had reappeared in her throat. "I am fine. I am at the Olkarain library that is near your favorite ice-cream shop". There was silence on the other line and Katie held her breath. "Stay there. I am coming to get you" he commanded, ending the call.

As Katie ended her call, a drop of water landed on the top of her head. "Quiznak!" she cursed, as she realized it had started to rain. It was the only thing left to complete this awful day. She moved nearer to the library's entrance whose design provided enough shelter from the rain.

She leaned against the door, going further down her call log praying she hadn't missed any of her mother's calls. "Hunk?" she whispered in surprise, he had called three times in a row around 9 pm. That was weird considering she and Hunk usually talked during the weekends but it must be something important. Doing a quick calculation of the time difference in her head, she called her best friend.

"Hi Katie, where were you?" Hunk questioned. "I fell asleep while studying" she explained and Hunk chuckled in amusement.

The two friends took a minute to catch up on everything before Hunk stated his reason of call, "Mom and Dad were wondering if you two would like to renew your contract. They are really hoping you do. They say they can finally sleep in peace knowing the apartment is safe and not being trashed."

Katie felt a rush of gratitude for Hunk's parents trusting them so much even though they had been once very close to breaking that trust. "I would really like to renew it but I am not sure Lance wants to live with me again," she replied, her heart felt it was being squeezed mercilessly.

"Ok someone tell me what is going on between the two of you!" Hunk declared, frustrated.

"I talked to Lance a few hours ago and he said the same thing as you. I don't get you two, One minute you despise each other and in the other, you are best buds. Just yesterday afternoon Lance was asking me the recipe for Peanut butter cookies to make for you and now you guys can't live with each other ?!"

Katie's eyes widened and suddenly her heart started beating rapidly, "Lance was asking what?"

Hunk sighed on the other end, "He said something about you helping him with some project and that's why he wanted to surprise you with peanut butter cookies"

"He did?" she asked, her voice cracking, as unconscious tears started trailing down her face. "Katie are you alright?" Hunk's questioned startled. Before she could reply, another voice called out to her.

"Pidge! Stay there I am coming!" Lance shouted, getting out his car which he fondly named Blue although it was bright red. He pulled out a ridiculously bright yellow umbrella as well and starting walking towards her not caring of the puddles that made his favorite shoes dirty.

Katie watched with a horrified realization, her heart threatened to come out of her chest and all she could think at that time was. This was no ordinary crush, it was something scarily deep. She was in love with Lance McClain.

But the idea didn't seem as terrifying as she once thought. After all the guy was Lance, the funniest person she knew but will never admit, A guy with a heart of gold and oh those blue eyes, she could stare into them forever.

As he finally reached her, Katie couldn't hold on any longer. She was done acting strong, one look of Lance standing there with that stupid bright yellow umbrella was all it took for her to engulf him in a desperate embrace. Despite his initial surprise Lance gladly returned the gesture securely wrapping his free hand around her waist.

"Hey there Pigeon, you really scared me" he softly whispered in her ear sending shivers down her spine.

"Ok, I'll just hang up myself. You two continue" Hunk shouted, from the phone scaring the life out of Lance and causing him to drop the umbrella. Despite the moment Katie couldn't help but giggle pulling away from Lance. "Sorry Hunk. I'll talk to you later" she apologized sheepishly.

"You two better give me a decent explanation later or else I am gonna come back and bring Shay's cousins to kick your asses!" he threatened.

"Will do" they chorused ending the call. Lance watched love-stricken as Katie clutched her stomach trying to control her laughter. "Hey there," he whispered, clasping her pale hands in his tanned ones and pulled her closer to him.

"I want to apologize for acting up like that" he mumbled and Katie nodded forgivingly.

"Also there is something important you need to know" he murmured, gently touching her cheek. Instinctively she moved closer to him as well.

"Katie, I am in love with you" he whispered feeling terrified by his own words. This was the first time he made such a strong statement and although she didn't immediately reply, there was something in her eyes that told him that she felt the same.

"I love you so much" he continued kissing her forehead. "You won't believe me if I told you" he softly chuckled, kissing both of her cheeks.

Katie giggled as Lance kissed the top of her nose. Lance nervously glanced at her lips and Katie smiled to herself knowing this was her move to make.

She smiled teasingly at him before finally confessing, "I love you too" she uttered shyly and then standing at the tip of her toes she finally closed the distance between them.

_______A Few Weeks Later________

"Katie, I love your dutch braids" Allura praised. "How are they so perfect. I always end up messing mine" Allura asked.

Katie proudly held up one of them, "Lance braided them. He spent half an hour on YouTube figuring out how to do them perfectly. I tried to stop him but he was stubbornly convinced that they would suit me"

Nadia elbowed Romelle mischievously, "Look at her. She is so smitten by him to think once they were just roommates."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you had a good time reading this! Feel free to share if you enjoyed a specific part!


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